Working at Council

Work experience and vocational placement opportunities must be supported as part of a recognised program or course of study and include:

high school work experience programs

TAFE or Vocational Education and Training Institutes work experience programs

schools for people with disabilities work experience programs

approved work experience referral agencies programs

universities (if work experience is a requirement to complete the relevant course)

The duration of work experience should be a maximum of one week for secondary school students and work experience program participants, and a maximum of 30 days for tertiary students. Tertiary work experience placements are available from December to March, and the student must provide proof of public liability coverage.

Work experience is usually conducted in a single block, however, single or half-days over a period of time may be approved at the discretion of the relevant branch manager in consultation with the manager of People and Organisational Development or a delegate.

Some compulsory minimum qualifications or requirements such as a general construction safety (white) card or supply of own personal protective equipment (PPE) may apply before placement within certain programs or work areas (depending on the type of work experience).

As a major employer in the region, we accept a responsibility to provide meaningful work experience as an opportunity for participants to gain an understanding of the requirements of the particular occupational area in which they are placed. As work experience requires close supervision of participants, this responsibility must be balanced with council's operational requirements.

All work experience participants must undertake an induction on their first day of work. The induction aims to inform people of their workplace health and safety requirements.

How to apply

You must apply at least four weeks before you want to start work experience. If we receive more work experience requests than can be placed, preference is given to schools and institutions within the Toowoomba region and students residing in the Darling Downs area. To apply you can use one of the following methods:

School students wishing to arrange a work experience placement are encouraged to discuss their work experience options and return the completed forms to their school‘s work experience coordinator or other representative so they can send them to us. University, TAFE or other students can return the completed forms to your local Customer Service Centre or via email.